Window and door shutters for buildings can be mounted either on the inside or the outside of a building to cover a window or door opening. They block light and intruding eyes, and, when mounted on the outside, they protect the openings from external elements. Conventional well known shutters are typically made of wood and thought to be an attractive addition to houses and commercial buildings. Conventional shutters, however offer no security to the occupants inside the building. They can normally be opened easily from the outside, and, even if well locked, they can be easily bent, broken or torn away from the opening to allow an intruder to enter the building.
In order to increase security, a variety of protective gratings and grilles have been developed for windows and doors. The most common type is a steel cage bolted to the outside of a building. The cage bars are close enough together to keep potential intruders out. Security grilles are often thought to be unattractive and are typically made to resemble Mediterranean wrought iron art work. When bolted to the outside of a structure, they also prevent any building occupants from leaving through the window or door which is protectively grated during an emergency. U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,596 to Gallardo shows a security window grating which is mounted to the inside of a building so that it can be opened in an emergency. U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,589 to Rodriguez-Torres and U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,010 to Whittington et al show security window gratings which combine some of the functional features of conventional window shutters with an exterior mounted security window grating. The system in Whittington et al can be opened from the inside. Neither system offers as much security as a conventional grating, nor the functionality, attractiveness and convenience of a conventional wooden window shutter.